Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the TMC, declared on Thursday that she will work with Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal-United, and Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, among other non-BJP parties, to unseat the BJP from the Centre.
I'm Kela Hobe (a game would be played). Let's play the game for 2024 once we peacefully conclude the panchayat elections (in West Bengal). At an organisational meeting held in Kolkata's Netaji Indoor stadium, Banerjee told a few thousand party members that the game will begin in Bengal.
The West Bengal chief minister has long supported a third front against the BJP in the 2024 elections, led by local satraps. The TMC has repeatedly hinted that it is prepared to compete against the BJP on the national stage in 2024 as part of its effort to extend its influence beyond Bengal.
The TMC leader had already written to non-BJP chief ministers and opposition parties in March of this year, urging them to band together against the BJP and accusing it of utilising central agencies to harass its political rivals, in this context. Banerjee was instrumental in fielding a joint opposition candidate for president in June. The party however did not vote in the Vice Presidential election.